Category: batman!

Batman to the rescue! The protective effects of parasocial relationships with muscular superheroes on men’s body image

“Superheroes have a considerable presence in our society and dominate popular media for boys and men, while often representing unattainable muscular ideals. The present research is the first to examine the effects of superheroes on men’s body image and the moderating role of parasocial relationship status (PSR; a one-sided psychological bond) on those effects. Men who had vs. did not have a PSR with a superhero were exposed to a muscular vs. non-muscular image of that superhero. Read More

“Eye injury from flying bats are extremely rare, as they have a special ultrasonic echolation system which they use instead of sight to guide their way. This complex system enables them to avoid any obstacles when gliding at high velocities, even in complete darkness. There has been one other report of corneal perforation from collision with a bat. Here we report a case of a bat attack with a corneal foreign body which was a part of the bat’s claw, resulting in localized keratitis and anterior uveitis, a finding which has not been previously described. Read More

“The Giza pyramids of Egypt have been the subject of much research. Pyramid models with the same base to height ratio as of the Great Pyramid of Giza, when aligned on a true north-south axis, are believed to generate, transform and transmit energy. Research done with such pyramid models has shown that they induced greater relaxation in human subjects, promoted better wound healing in rats and afforded protection against stress-induced neurodegnerative changes in mice. The present study was done to assess the effects of housing Wistar rats within the pyramid on the status of oxidative damage and antioxidant defense in their erythrocytes and cortisol levels in their plasma. Read More